Happy Friday everyone! Did you all have a good week? It was a snowy one in D.C.! My husband had his first ever snow day on Monday, and we went out to see what D.C. looked like after the storm. Seeing the Washington and Lincoln Memorials covered in snow was surreal, almost like walking through a living snow globe! I even got to throw some snow balls into the ice covered reflecting pond.

Are you excited for a holiday weekend? I love how right when you finish getting organized after the holidays a long weekend sneaks up on you, it’s always the best surprise. We are hoping to enjoy ours with a local ski trip, weather depending. I haven’t been in a number of years and I am so excited to get back on the slopes!

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again - a well placed piece of jewelry can transform any basic pairing of clothes into a stylish outfit. Earrings, bracelets and necklaces are a wonderful way to update your wardrobe and add so much glamour to your wardrobe staples. Take jeans and a basic tee and wear different earrings or a different necklace and you have ten outfits, no problem. Plus, those outfits have so much style and personality because of the way that you accessorized them to look like you. For instance, my style is to add big and colorful statement earrings to a white tee, whereas my friend Samantha might add some drape-y necklaces and the top looks completely different - but both look glamorous! Here are some of my favorite pieces right now to bring on the glam to dress up winter’s basic sweaters, or a basic tee in the summer!

I have been looking for the perfect “my lips but better” lipstick for ages and I finally found it right before the holidays. Chanel’s Le Rouge Duo Ultra Tenue Ultra Wear Lipcolor in Merry Rose is, quite simply, the perfect shade. It is a nude pink that adds warmth to your face but still matches everything. Plus, it lasts forever, even through eating, and has a lovely shine that makes your whole face look awake and happy.

Chanel’s Merry Rose comes in a double sided applicator. One side has the long wear lipcolor, and the other side is a gloss. I like to put on a couple layers of the lipstick, wait a minute, and then add the gloss. I then touch up with the gloss throughout the day.

I’ve used Chanel’s Merry Rose with a nude eye, a smokey eye, a cat eye and every shade of pink blush and or bronzer and it matches everything. Plus it matches every outfit. It’s one of those shades that if you could only wear one lip color for the rest of your life Merry Rose would be it.

Finally, I like that the Le Rouge formula lasts all day but isn’t drying, especially if you exfoliate your lips at night. I’m not the best at reapplying lipstick throughout the day, so a long wear shade is perfect for me.

What’s your newest lipstick addiction? Do you have a my lips but better shade?

In anticipation of our D.C. snow day I have been laying in lots of warm and cozy food, sweet treats and fun movies. Since it will be our first real snow storm, I wanted to bake something special for the occasion, and this apple rum cake was perfect! It’s sweet without being cloying, and the top has cartelized sugar on top for the perfect crunch. Plus, since it’s full of apples it’s appropriate to nibble on all day long!

It was super simple to make-

Preheat the oven to 350 and prepare a cake pan (I love, love this PAM baking spray with flour. It really stops baked goods from sticking to the pan). Next, combine 1 cup of flour, 1 tsp baking powder and a pinch of salt in a mixing bow and set aside. In another bowl, combine 1 stick of unsalted butter, 1/2 cup sugar and 2 tsp vanilla. Once creamed together, add in 2 eggs. Next, mix in the flour mixture and 2 tbsp rum (the rum is optional). Once everything is combined and there are no lumps, stir in 2 peeled and chopped apples.

Transfer to prepared cake pan, and sprinkle the top with 2 tbsp sugar. Bake for 40 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean.

Then, eat! And watch the winter world go by.

How are you enjoying these winter nights? And to all my Florida friends, is it still warm? Are you enjoying walks in the sunshine?

Happy Friday everyone! Did you all have a good week? Mine was okay, I got sick over the weekend and was on quarantine most of this week which made the days kind of drag. I’m a person who loves to be on the go all the time so some forced relaxation was not my speed but also just what the doctor ordered. On the bright side, though, I got a lot of reading done and re-watched the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel - there are so many jokes I didn’t catch the first time I watched it!

Now that the temperatures are dropping in D.C. it’s time to bring out all my heavier sweaters. My favorite is this J.Crew 1988 rollneck sweater in pink. I love the light pink color, and it’s heavy without being itchy. Aren’t itchy sweaters just awful? Plus the way that the sweater is knit down the sides is very flattering.

The rollneck sweater runs large, I sized down and it is still loose fitting. It’s comfortable to wear all day, and it washes really well.

I love adding pastels to my winter wardrobe. Once Christmas is over I put away my burgundy and evergreen colored sweaters and start reaching for colors like light pink and light blue. I find that a pretty pop of color brightens my mood, even when the weather is continually cold and cloudy. It’s also a great way to have fun with accessories - a lilac nail pairs so well with a cream sweater, and a pastel scarf can liven up a black sweater! Here are some of my favorite pastel items out right now:

Last week, to kick off the New Year, I made homemade pasta. It felt like the perfect way to start a new year - a new challenge that involved delicious food in our home, that was also a nod to our anniversary trip to Italy. IThe whole process took a bout an hour an a half, but it was so worth it! The pasta tasted delicious, and we felt like we were back in Rome. It was also a lot easier than I anticipated, and now that I know what I’m doing I think it will take a lot less time in the future!

As you can see in the pictures, I used my Kitchenaid mixer and the pasta maker attachment. While using the mixer is not necessary by any means, I think having the mixer attachment made the process a lot easier since I could use my hands to feed and catch the dough. My parents got the attachment for us for Christmas, since I have wanted to make pasta ever since we got back from Italy. It was the perfect gift; thank you!

For my first batch of pasta I used this recipe. You start out by using a mixer to mix the water, flour, eggs and salt in the mixer to combine, and then kneading the dough with the dough hook for about 2 minutes. Next, you knead the dough by hand a couple times and let it rest for 20 minutes. After that, you feed it through the pasta attachment - feed the dough through the flat roller a few times on each of settings 1-4, and then switch to the spaghetti cutter. That’s it! You’ll have about 5 servings, and can freeze the extra.

I felt so accomplished when it actually looked like pasta! And then when it tasted good, well let’s just say I go by chef Allie now ; )

Have you ever made pasta? Do you have any good recipes? I’m excited to make it all the time now, and it’s how I’m going to lure people to come visit us. If you come to D.C. you get spaghetti… : )

Updated - they just added lots of cashmere and popover to the sale! I particularly love the popover dress, it looks so bright and so cozy! Here are my favorite new items-

Today’s the day - the Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sale is live! There are so many amazing finds this year for amazing prices - I looked in store yesterday and online today and am so pleased with both the selection and deals. Plus, there are a ton of sweaters so you can wear all of your finds right now, including cashmere. Lilly cashmere is high quality, I bought a cashmere sweater during the August sale and it’s one of my favorite pieces in my closet; it’s cozy and warm and the most perfect pale blue - who says you can’t wear color in the winter? Here are some of my favorites, and I talk about sizing at the end of the post-

As to sizing, I think Lilly clothes fit true to size with a few exceptions - pants run a little small, swingy sweaters/athletic wear run big, and size up on swim tops. Also, if you haven’t shopped the sale before there is a virtual line, which you can read all about here.

There are more items being added tomorrow, so I will keep this page updated!

Happy Friday everyone! Did you all have a good first week of 2019? Have you remembered to date things 2019? I’m not quite there yet… Also, I feel like 2019 sounds pretty normal, but 2020 sounds so far away and so futuristic! Is it just me?

This weekend we are staying low, it’s supposed to be pretty dreary and we are still recovering from the holidays. It was the best Christmas ever, but I am tired and need to take down my, sadly, very dead Christmas tree - we decided that our family tradition is going to be to take it down on Epiphany every year, to make it feel a little special. Do you have any traditions surrounding the removal of the Christmas tree? Neither of us did growing up, and it always felt a little arbitrary and capricious, the way it would come down early some years and late others. The twelfth day of Christmas however seems just right!

Anyways, here are some of my favorite internet finds of the week -

The Lilly Pulitzer sale is here! It starts in stores on Saturday and online on Monday through Tuesday, with more inventory added on Tuesday. You can read all my tips about shopping the sale here. The prices on the sale are always such a great deal - I’ve gotten tops and shorts for the same price I’d pay at Target! On Monday once everything is released I’ll post all the best finds from the sale :)

I’m in love with all the Libby VanderPloeg home goods at Anthropologie - these city themed juice glasses and the rainy day towels look like the perfect way to add some color to the kitchen during these dark winter days

During the winter I tend to gravitate to blues and whites, with hints of pink and purple as a nod to the upcoming spring. I love a bright pop of color every now and then, however, and couldn’t resist this lovely Everlane Silk Boatneck Blouse in Mustard Gold. It’s such a lovely take on yellow; it’s adds a bright pop of color without seeing discordant with the winter season.

This is my first Everlane purchase and I am so happy with the quality of the top. The silk blouse feels very luxurious, and it doesn’t wrinkle or crease easily. All of the fold lines from shipping steamed out easily, and it dry cleaned perfectly when I got a little stain on it. All important to know when talking about silk!

I found the cut of the Everlane boatneck blouse very flattering to my hourglass figure. It drapes very nicely, and the boatneck collar lied flat without any fussing. The top runs slightly big, but since it is supposed to have a relaxed fit I did not size down. I like the way it flows, and I don’t think it would drape as nicely if it wasn’t a little big.

I paired the Everlane silk top with my favorite blue bag and some black flats. I love the way the gold hardware makes the outfit feel more glamorous! When paired with jeans the ensemble feels appropriate for a casual dinner or cocktails out on the town. In addition, if you swapped the jeans for slacks or a skirt the outfit is perfect for work too.

Finally, I love that Everlane is committed to what they call “Radical Transparency” - which means partnering with ethical factories, using quality materials, and informing customers about the costs of producing their products. It makes me feel good about shopping there, and my wallet is happy that the prices are significantly lower than other stores with similar products. Here are some of their other products that I love -

What colors do you love to wear all winter long? And have you found any great pieces at Everlane?